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 :)

You better Belize it!

I can't believe that I am leaving tomorrow!! After a long application process, of many essays, letters of rec, several interviews, NSA background check, fingerprints, security clearance, AND wayyyy too many trips to the Dr's office, I can't believe my time is already here. It has been a wonderful few months at home after living in Israel, but I am looking forward to beginning this new phase in my life. I without a doubt have quite the mixture of emotions, but I am mostly grateful for the wonderful people in my life who have supported me to getting to this point.

Why the Peace Corps? This is a question I have gotten quite a bit, and the simple answer is that it's exactly what I am looking for at this point of time in my life. The longer answer- My desire to join the Peace Corps began when I was 19 years old. After embarking on a life-changing trip to Tanzania the summer before college, I discovered my love of travel, experiencing different cultures, and seeing how truly connected and similar we all are on this planet. As much as I love travelling, I have always been more drawn to places which are 'different, authentic, or off the beaten path'- places perhaps less touched by western culture and this globalized world which has which has inevitably altered the planet's rich diversity. The Peace Corps provides an opportunity to not only give back to humanity, but to experience the beauty and authenticity of living with locals and integrating into a unique community. 

With my upcoming 27 months in Belize, I have been doing a LOT of self-reflecting, setting personal goals, and general mind-spinning thoughts. One of my goals for the next few years is to keep a dedicated blog that chronicles my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize. However, I'm not sure how good I am at this since, the majority of my time on here has been staring at the screen thinking of what to write! Anyways, I hope this gives friends, family, and whoever some insight into my next 27 months!

For those that don't know, I am joining the Community Rural Health program in Belize. This program is a public health initiative that's focused in implementing programs and education to improve outcomes in maternal and child health and noncommunicable diseases. We are partnered with Belize's ministry of health and are assigned a community health partner throughout the duration of service. I am greatly looking forward to the maternal health aspects as I am a newly trained Doula (working with women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum) and Lactation counselor.

I am excited to meet the other folks in my group. Of the 19 of us, we are a mixture of ages, backgrounds, and skill sets. I have actually made a friend with someone in my group- She lives in Jacksonville, Alabama. It has been wonderful to have a friend who can relate the insanity of the PC experiences. Whether it's our mutual frustration during the 1.5 year application process, anxiety about the trip, or sharing packing suggestions/challenges, it's been really nice to have someone to talk to (Thanks, Jade!!).

 Friday night my parents hosted a wonderful going away party with dear family friends. It was so wonderful to see everyone, and I am very grateful for their love and support. Aside from bittersweet goodbyes, the past few days have consisted of last minute purchases, packing like a maniac, and trying to just enjoy my last few days at home.

So a little about what the next week will bring for me-

- Leaving 6/22 (tomorrow) at 1pm
- Arrive to Miami where I will meet the other volunteers. There are about 19 in our group.
- Staging! This is the official PC orientation.
- Arrival to Belize. The first week we are in a hotel for the beginning of training
- The Next 3 months- Intensive training. We will be living with host families during this time and will have intensive training in areas of language, technical, security, and cultural.

That's about all for now! The internet situation is pretty unknown at this point, but I will try and keep this as updated as possible. Again, thank you to all my wonderful friends and families, especially to my Parents. They have been beyond supportive, in every way imaginable. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and I know it wouldn't be possible without all of your love and support.