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!