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 :)