Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday and are counting your blessings – like no mosquitos and humidity less than 128% :-)

Internet service has been *very* slow and intermittent so I haven't been able to upload any photos but am working on that. Attached a few so you can see my new Belizean brown, with the Ambassador of Belize/Obama's college roomate, and my awesone purple beach cruiser and my office

Settling In

Things are going quite nicely (especially when I hear some of the horror stories of fellow PCVs). I’ve decide to stay on with my host family for a variety of reasons. For one thing, no one lives alone in the village, and especially not single females. It would be very weird to go that route, especially early on, while I’m trying to integrate. Second, there is a bit of a problem with alcoholism in the village. There are 2 bars (and 11 different churches!) but the men are pretty much out of work due to the decline in fish (due to overfishing), so not much to do except to sit around, drink, and lament the good old days. Given that most female PCVs leave villages due to “unwanted attention”, I’d rather not invite trouble by being on my own. And if I did have my own place, it would have to be a high-security compound, with burgular bars, fences, mean dogs – which would also be really weird in this neighborly village.

Fortunately, my host family has the room – in fact, two. My bedroom has bunk beds so I can have visitors J. I also have the office next to it where we (well, I, one day when everyone was out) reorganized so there is space for yoga and a hammock. They have someone who does the laundry (mine too) and cooks so I have lunch with them everyday. And when my mom makes waffles. Otherwise, I’ll be cooking for myself, which means – send a lot of trail mix!!!

My host parents have been married for 23 years, they have 4 kids, 3 daughters and 1 son. The two older girls have gone off to college and are working in Costa Rica (to get work experience). The younger two are in school but in Belize City, so they come for the weekends but are gone all week. Eslner, the dad, works a lot in other cities (he does land surveying for the government) so it’s pretty much just Mrs. Tomasa (who is a primary school teacher) and I (and Brownie, the dog) most days of the week. We bonded immediately when she asked me one night what I wanted for dinner and I said “ice cream” and that’s what we did!

So I’m pretty much a spoiled, only child – finally, once again LOL

Oh, and my family is basically vegetarian. In the 6 weeks I’ve been there, they’ve had chicken twice and fish maybe 3 or 4 times. And 3 of those times, it was as ceviche which we all know doesn’t count against vegetarianism because it’s just so amazingly good.

We’ve started introducing each other to more fruits and veggies – I introduced egg plant and plums. They’ve introduced me to cassava, Caribbean yam, and “spinach” which tastes a lot like our spinach but grows as a vine-y weed in their yard!

Ms. Tomasa says she’ll try yoga sometime and is going to teach me the cumbia (a form of dance). We ride our bikes around the whole village, about 3 miles, before sunset. In a race against the mosquitoes. I usually lose. But as you can probably tell, no real complaints here

My Placement

So I’m working with some really great people – who definitely keep me entertained if nothing else. I’m working with the Conversation Alliance, the Tour Guides, a Women’s Group, and the Fisherman’s Association. Well, with the fisherman, I’m just try to learn the lingo – never been exposed to fishing terms, let alone in Spanish. Learning about boats, nets, hooks, piers, currents.

The Tour Guides are the most entertainment – a bunch of 20 year olds trying to figure out how to make a living, giving that fishing is not really an option for them. Most do have some education but somewhat limited English. And they are also a little too much into the local bar scene. So I’ve had to put my foot down that we would NOT have our meetings in the bar. Then I had to explain that we wouldn’t go to the bar after working for an hour. Then I had to explain why we wouldn’t go to the bar to celebrate after making one decision 4 hours later … Hilarity I tell you. But good kids.

Oh, this was the other reason I decided staying with my host family was a better way to go – what Sarteneja knows of volunteers is from the “short timers” who come for 2 weeks or a few months and like to party hard, since that’s all the time they have (and I guess they don’t know what else to do here). So I have that association to distance myself from. And, everyone remembers the last Peace Corps volunteer who left, early, pregnant. It was 20 years ago but they act like it was last year. So, some reputation management to handle as well.

Anyway, what I’m finding most interesting is just the stuff that comes up, in my head, around being here and what I can vs. should want to vs. want to accomplish (and those are 3 different things).

Right now, there’s my general mental ruminations about “what is helping?”, “what is empowering?”, “what is ‘making a difference’?”, “what is progress?”, “what is development?”, “what is capacity building?”, “what is organizational/community strengthening?”. We had some great lectures in Training about the latter few and of course, it is more complicated than one might think. But as complicated as you would expect because if my village/Belize had these things figured out, they wouldn’t need us. Well, see, even that, I can’t say that they need us. And I can’t even say that the USA has it figured out. So I wonder what it is I have to offer. I can’t honestly say that I think my village should learn to have more structured meetings, to create agendas and write minutes, to prepare reports using standard, accepted accounting and/or business terms, or any of the other myriad of things I can teach them. Frankly, the only reason they have to know it, or do it, is so that they can maneuver in the Big World – funding agencies, government programs, etc. And then my honest thought is, the last think I want for them is to have to answer to funding agencies, government bureaucracies, etc. I get that is how it works but I’m realizing I have a deep problem with that fact and I’m not sure how I feel about being the person who is going to help them “sell their soul” so to speak.

And everywhere you turn, you question, well, I question (myself) more and more. For example, a house near me has a dog who has 4 puppies. They are adorable, of course. And they’re not being starved or neglected but they are at the one of the poorest homes in the village. The dad is diabetic and has lost his legs. These people can barely feed themselves let alone 5 dogs. So everyday I debate about bringing the puppies some bread or tortillas. But I know, for one thing, it would be a bit of an insult to the family, suggesting that they are not providing. It would also cause them some embarrassment. It would also be awkward because they need the food as much as the dogs. So do I bring them something and something for the dogs? But then what about creating dependencies – obviously don’t want the family to start counting on me to feed them. And really don’t want the dogs to rely on it because I can’t keep it up – even if I do so for 2 years, it’s not their whole lives and it wouldn’t be fair to be feeding them for years then to take off. And the reality is, if I start feeding the dogs, the family will stop because I'm taking care of it. And I can’t take 4 puppies to my host family. Nor could I really bring 4 dogs back to the USA … because it would be more like 20 dogs if I get started, this not being the only “I want to help the dog” situation in the village.

So I percolate and masticate and ruminate and all the other things you do when you don’t really know what to do but are trying to do the right thing for everyone.

Mostly, I thank my lucky stars that I get to see beauty all around, glorious sunsets every day, spectacular sun rises, all kinds of birds and fish life, that I’m living with and surrounded by kindness, that I can go really fast on my purple beach cruiser and feel the wind filling my lungs. That I have the means to send you this message. That I have the chance to get to know a whole other world and culture. And that, if I’m very very lucky, I might be able to figure out how to accomplish what I can, what I should want to, and what I want to...

Blessed and grateful

Manissa

There Just Aren't Words ...

First thank you all for the packages and letters! I came back into Belmopan from being at my site and had about 6 packages and letters and all the other Volunteers were soooo jealous he he he. But seriously, it was so great to get the tea and treats and books and notes and know you're thinking of me. Thank you all! I will be back here at the end of November so if you want to send something for me to get by Thanksgiving, please send it by November 7. I'm good on tea now but would welcome trail mixes (especially any from Trader Joes). (Just none with chocolate or yogurt or anything that would melt).

Going forward, I can't really get mail at my site - Peace Corps will hold it at their headquarters and I'll be coming through every 3 months or so and will get items then. I'll be sure to let you know when something arrives so if you send something and don't hear from me within a month, let me know and I'll find out what is going on.

Of course, I totally love and appreicate the emails also, letting me know what's going on for you and well wishes so keep any and all forms of communication coming!!!

Next in terms of being speechless - I can't begin to tell how big of a lucky stick I drew with my Site Assignment in Sarteneja. Let me make you jealous by describing my day:

6:30am - up for breakfast with my host mom, which is often waffles!!!
7am - back to bed
9:15am - up to get ready for work
9:45am - leave for the office
9:49am - turn the corner and see the water
9:55am - walk along the shoreline and arrive at the office

10am - 12pm - check emails, look out the window at the water, think about leadership development sessions for my counterparts, look out the window, chat with some of the fisherman/work on my spanish conversation, look out the water
12pm - head home for lunch which is ready on the table when I arrive. Lunch maybe vegetable soup, flour tortillas, enchiladas, bean soup, fresh squashes ...

1pm - head back to the office or sit in the hammock and watch "Law & Order" (my guilty pleasure)
4pm - head to the small pier for some sunset yoga. Look for sting rays, blue crabs, other sea life off the pier. Watch the children playing in the water. Watch the fisherman bring their catches and boats in for the night

6pm - dinner, my favorite is beans with habanernos (yes, I've gone there) and fresh flour tortillas
7pm - watch novellas with the family or read or work
9pm - under the mosquito net for bed, reading, lights out

I know, sickening isn't it?! I can't believe this is my life!!!

Just to balance it out - here are the not so great parts: the mosquitoes, they are vicious here. But I've discovered the browner I get, the less the mosquitoes seem to bite/find me. Great for the immersion also! Did I mention I have to go snorkeling as part of my work (when we go on patrol in the bay, we do fish population counts)? And I'm going on the snorkeling tours and tours to Mayan sites to help the Tour Guides finalize their programs and prices. Oh wait, I was going over the "negatives" ... There really isn't a beach, you kinda just walk from the road into the water. Which is crystal clear and bathtub temperature. But it's more muddy than sandy. Unless you float out a few feet. Then it's just lovely. mmmmm, ok, any other negatives? There is somewhat of a drinking problem among the unemployed fisherman, but I just stay away from those parts of town (the 3 bars are located right next to each other, by the police station). There are 11 churches all of different denominations (you may recall my last village with the same popluation had 9 churchs, 7 were pentecoastal) and they all have giant speaker systems which they like to blast their sermons and music. Til about 9pm then it's totally quiet and you can see the Milky Way outside, it's so dark. I can also see the lights across the bay to Chetumal Mexico which is suppose to be the bomb for shopping. Will report back on that shortly.

Well, I tried.

Finally, most importantly, I have been match so well with my placement. Not only am I traveling and volunteering (which is what I wanted to focus on at this point in my life) but I am using all the great training and skills from KP with groups and individuals who would never have the opportunity for this kind of interaction/expertise. It's EXACTLY what I hope would happen in joining the Peace Corps! EXACTLY.

And, as of Thursday, I will be sworn in as a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) and I will be official. Turns out, the last few months don't "count". Now the 2 years starts. And while I am still under the sponsorship of Peace Corps, pretty much all the DMV aspects are over and I get to be in charge of my life now. Wheeeeeeeee. So I'll be figuring out my living arrangements, daily routines, how I can best help my agencies, and planning my next excursion into Belize.

So blissed out, I can't even tell you. It's just a lovely lovely quiet in my heart and head, I'm exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I love and wanted to be doing. There just aren't words.

Love you all - will be sending info shortly on the range of options to come visit and see Belize. You HAVE to come, it's cheap, it's gorgeous, and I want to share this great experience with you :-)

xoxo
Manissa

The snail mail option (and mail is welcomed!):
Manissa Pedroza c/o Peace Corps Belize, PO Box 492, 6130 Iguana Street Extension, Mountain View Area, Belmopan Belize

Hint: Use the same address for the return address and it will get to me no matter what!

Oh happy day - got my site assignment today, which is where I'll be for the next two years ...

It's on the COAST Northern Belize, in a small village (about 1800 people)

Working with an eco-tourism alliance. I'll be doing Leadership Development with a wildlife sanctuary, conservation group, fisherman's association, and the local tourism association.

And I'll be trained and rotate on patrols in the wildlife sanctuary WHEEEEEEE

Don't know yet about any ammenities or lack thereof in the village, but it appears I will have internet access at my placement's office...

Head out on Tuesday - will let you know more once I see it then we can really start the vacation visit planning :-)

http://www.sarteneja.net/

my bday and other fun

My bday and other fun

Had a great great birthday, starting with a parade and fireworks at midnight (for Belize’s Independence Day). During the day, went out into the jungle with an expat/local - Wayne who is white South African and self-transplanted to Belize for his interest in Mayan art – and explored three unexcavated Maya burials. The uppermost layers have been looted but there are probably still remains and artifacts lower down (Mayan would lay burials on top of each other to build the temple). It was fun to imagine how the site would have looked in it’s day, probably home to about 1000 Mayans. It was so amazing being in the jungle (Spanish for jungle), as soon as we got off the “road” you’re immediately lost. Every direction looks the same – have to say, would never ever want to get dropped in a jungle and have to find my way out. No way.

We also battled fire ants, an entire side of one temple was covered in them. Boy, talk about motivation to get moving, those suckers HURT. Came across a few more gianormous spiders but didn’t walk into them, thankfully. No other wildlife, unfortunately, the area has been hunted clean. Not even birds are left. But the area is a national park and now under the “protection” of the government and under the management of an NGO so hopefully with time the animals will return.

But I am impressed with how much Belize has done to protect it’s resources – had the opportunity to see the Belize Zoo which is not a zoo like you’ve ever seen, it’s more like a wildlife sanctuary. There is no concrete or bars, it’s more like they sectioned off part of the jungle and let people come in to visit. And all the animals are rescues – either from people who took them as infants and tried to raise them but they got too large and are too imprinted on humans or big cats who start taking cows and sheep and the Zoo will capture them so the villagers don’t kill them. Got some photos on Facebook (link below)

Also went to Caracol last Sunday, which is the largest Mayan site in Belize. Turns out, my host mom’s brother is a licensed guide. You have to have a license guide and armed guard to go into the backcountry of Belize. We went to an amazing cave, then to Caracol, then to some pools on the river and Big Rock Falls (see photos on link below). It was a super fun day!!!

But back to my bday – after trekking around in the jungle, got back home and was whisked away by a fellow volunteer for some bday ice cream. Belize has the BEST ice cream, when you can find it, produced by the Mennoites. Yum. And the store owner gave me a free coca cola.

Back at the house, my host mom had it all decorated with balloons and her sister-in-law who is training to be a cook, made me cake. We had all the children, which included cousins (about 20 total) and about 10 adults. Fellow volunteer Roger played the guitar and we enjoyed papaya and watermelon. We ate the food Antonia had been preparing all day: rice and beans, chicken, pasta salad, and plantains.

Then it was time for the piñata – which was a “Manissa (formerly Dora) the Explorer” in the shape of a purse. Filled with candy and money and gum. I got in the first few swings, then some of the kids, then my teacher, who lives in the village for the 5 weeks also, Frederico, who broke the piñata. Well, broke the handle so then Antonia and I threw the kids the candy. It was so funny.

Then we played games – first musical chairs with the boys then the girls. Then the boys played a game where you run from one end of the lawn to the other, grab a balloon, run back to your seat and whoever pops the balloon first, wins. After the boys, the girls played. Then the three female Peace Corps Volunteers and we literally popped the balloons at the same time. Hilarious. Then the men – Antonia’s brother, Mr. Frederico, and Roger. Augosto won by a large margin but when Roger sat down to pop his balloon, he and his chair fell over. Oh we just laughed and laughed.

Ended the greatest day with cake. With candles that won’t extinguish. Finally got them out, after busting a lung, and then Antonia explained that in Belize, you take a bite of the cake to express your thanks and show how much you are enjoying yourself. I was highly suspicious of this request and tried to take a quick bite. But they wouldn’t let me get away with that! I tried to keep anyone from being behind me and realized that was futile as well. So, I resigned myself to my fate and dropped my own face into the cake. That brought the house down.

It was an awesome day and was so happy to get to see more of this spectacular country last weekend.

Stay tuned for the next big announcement – where I’ll be going for my final Site Placement dun dun dun …

Bday pixs:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115029&id=640467317&l=78e4508eaf

Caracol/Maya Site:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115028&id=640467317&l=42edc42d76

novellas de la semana

The Chicks
So one of my host mom’s entrepreneurial efforts is to raise chickens. She got 100 chicks from the Mennonite community and if tended properly, they will be ready to sell in 6-8 weeks to sell for $10 each (which is a lot of money!). Problem is, they are frail things – as my mom says “if it rains, they die; if it gets hot, they die; if they get scared, they die”. Nowhere near as hardy as the local chickens, who are scraggily and take much longer to grow but are indestructible.
Anyway, first night, rats killed 6 of the chicks – we think they were trying to get to the food because rats don’t eat chickens. So we moved into Uber Chick Protection Mode. For three nights, we could catch all 96 of them (and as I have mentioned, chickens are FAST), put them in various buckets and bins and bring them in the house. Then we would put a fan on them, make sure they had water, food.
Her father-in-law fixed up the coop so we were able to leave them outside at night but the first night of that as I went to the latrine, I saw a cat crouching by the side. She couldn’t get in but if one of them wandered too close, she would have been able to grab it. So, back to Uber Chick Protection Mode: my host mom and I put up plastic and bed sheets around the chicken wire to help keep the cat away and tied up the dog (yes, Duffee, my best friend or novio as the 4 year old says LOL) right outside. So far, so good but keep your fingers crossed for those chickens. And, yes, I am struck by the irony of doing all this, helping with all this for the chickens to be killed in a few weeks. Thankfully, I won’t be here for that.

The Bus
Twice a week we are up at sunrise to catch the 6am bus. Goes for 40 minutes into a town, San Ignacio, then we take another bus to Belmopan which takes an hour an a half regular bus or an hour “express” bus. Each bus has 48 seats, or 96 people. Then they allow anyone to stand in the isles which gets us to a total of 115 or so adults, or up to 125 or 130 if it’s kids.
Then, someone pushes their way down the isle to collect the bus fare which is $3BZ ($1.50US) for each leg. It’s quite entertaining to try to maneuver to allow this person to go by without putting all your front or back business in the face of someone seated. And I don’t need to worry about lack of human contact while I’m here in Belize – we get rubbed on plenty just taking the bus with this exercise. So far, nothing inappropriate but I’ll give that time.
The best part is the bus stops anywhere. Anywhere. Whenever you want to get off just give a hoot and it will stop. Even better, is it will stop where ever you are to let you on – the other day, a person got on, the bus went literally 5 feet, stopped, another person got on, went 5 more feet, another person got on. Why those people didn’t just walk over in the time it took for the bus to roll up and stop for the next, I’ll never know.

The Tea
Turns out, when the British left, they took all their tea with them! Can only find Lipton. So if you send snail mail, thanks for including a package or two of tea

Headed into a long weekend for Independence Day and, more importantly, International Day of Peace, and most importantly, my birthday (LOL). We’re having a piñata for the kids, (well, OK, it’s for me) and I’ll be sure to send photos.

Best from Belize!!
Manissa
Anyone can see photos at this link: (updated as of 9/9/09, newest photos start with #31)http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102016&id=640467317&l=4965dba765

not even here 2 weeks!

See photos at: (updated as of 8/26/09)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102016&id=640467317&l=4965dba765

But it feels like 2 months already - it has been so jammed packed! With all the various lectures from 8a-5p each day, my favorite being "Let's Talk About Bowel Movements" which is about WHEN we get diahhera, not IF. My head is spinning with info overload. And then we were shipped off to our CBT (Community Based Training) sites.

I’m now living in a small village, San Antonio, which is about 1.5 hours to the Guatemalean border by bus and 3 hours to the coast. So I'm in the middle of nowhere/middle of Belize. It's a pretty here at least, located in the mountains. There about about 1000-3000 people here. Seems like it’s barely 100 people, which is great, you really get to know your neighbors. But, there is no a/c and no running water. We do have electricity so I have a fan I can run at night which allows me to fall asleep. Staying asleep is another matter. Average temp is mid 90s. All the time. Even when it rains. Which is often.

And my first night here I woke with a start because someone was knocking on my window. Couldn't even breathe or hear anything because my heart was pumping so loudly. Turns out, the "tap tap tap" sound comes from a gecko. A bleeping geecko. Yes, jungle noises are FUN.

So I have my own room, sorta – the house is one large square about 26 feet wide by 32 feet long. My room is in the southwest corner, by the "kitchen" (which has a sink with no facuets and an electric stove/oven). It is an 8’x10’ space made out of boards supported by bungee cords and a credenza. It is open at the top to the ceiling (about 3’ of open space) so I can see the geckos when they come in from the roof. The family sleeps in another "room" caty corner to mine. There is a "living room" with a TV and DVD player, not sure if either work.

We have a latrine in back by the pigs (there are 9 of them, one is pregnant), which is past the chicken coops, about 100 feet away from the house. There are three dogs, one is pretty protective and my host mom has been very worried he would go after me. So I haven’t gone out at night for the bathroom. But I’ve started bringing him a cracker each time I do out during the day and I think he’s almost decided I’m OK so I might be able to go at night now.

My host mom, Antonia, is a very hard working woman. She takes care of her family (2 kids under the age of 4 and her husband who is gone quite a few days a week for work at a local resort which is 2 hours away) and is involved in the Women’s Group in town. They make clay products, embroider, jewelry but are struggling with power politics. The founder doesn’t want to share information and after 7 years it’s starting to grate on the others. Ahh, so good to know issues of power and control and the resulting nonsense is the same world over.

I help Antonia to wash the dishes (after each meal) - we use rain water and a lot of Dawn. I sweep the floor and learned how to do laundry on Sunday. Happily and luckily, she has a machine that agitates the clothes which then we double rinse in bins by hand then the machine does a spin cycle. Then it only take about 20 minutes for the clothes to air dry on a clothes line, if it’s not raining. Which it does. Often.

During the day, we (there are 5 volunteers here) are in “school” six days a week (about a 20 minute walk) with language (spanish) in the am starting at 8a and Tech Training in the pm, til around 4p. The language is a little too remedial for me but that's OK. I usually read ahead or look up vocab. The Tech Training is pretty good – things like how to do conduct community assessments in a way that will build trust. Includes SWAT and other tools and approaches I’m very familiar with. So all that feels easy.

Just not sure about the rural living for 2 years. It's just as tedious and wearing as I remember from India and Africa. But my final Site Assignment remains a question, won't know that until Oct 2, then I really know what's in store for me ... though I could guess based on the community based/practice run I'm going through right now.

One of the best parts of San Antiono is the daughter here at my host family. Julissa aka Julie. She’s adorable, four years old, a lovely Kamryn (my USA niece) substitute. My language skills are right at her level, we can have quite lengthy conversations. Especially about naming body parts and animals, counting, colors, etc. And my Spanish is pretty darn good if I may say so myself. At least it seems so in my head/to my ears. My host mom even said “sometimes when I hear your Spanish, it’s quite good”. That was after I had just said something to the 2 year old, ha ha ha.

The town is very religious. Of the 7 churches, 5 are Penecoastal. There is one Catholic Church and one Jehovah Witness temple. For the Penecoastals (my family) Fridays is church for the ladies. Sunday for the men. Wednesday for the kids. Saturday for the youths. A lot of church but at least I get to "practice" my Spanish by listening to it. Oh, and everyone here (and pretty much all of Belize) speaks at least four langugages: English, Mayan, Spanish, and Kriol (Garifuna is closer to the coast and German in the Mennoite communities). And they code switch without blinking any eye. Makes it real fun to try and keep up.

Food is OK - mostly beans and rice. Or rice and beans. With tortillas (homemade yum). Or rice with veggies. Or rice and a sort of stir fry. And hot dogs. With eggs. Or a veggie burger which is a bun with lettuce and tomato. Quite an array of fruits and veggies - squash, cassava, plantains, watermelon, mango, avocado!!!!, papaya, peanuts, sweet limes, starfruit, grapefruit, and a bunch of others I'm still learning. We can eat the fruits right off the tree...

Es una vida simpatica, y facil, mas or menos. Having the predictable moments of frustration and irritation but they pass. Would give anything for a hot shower (yes, my usual refrain) and mail since internet is hard to come by {hint LOL}

Adios, con mucho amor y besos y abrazos

MJP

Phase 2 - Community Based Training

See photos at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102016&id=640467317&l=4965dba765

Getting ready to move to our first host family tomorrow. I will be in a Spanish speaking town, with electricity yea, about 2 hours inland and spitting distance to Guatemala. I will be taking the bus back to the Capital, Belmopan, twice a week - on Tuesdays for Spanish lessons and Fridays for further Health and Safety sessions with everyone. The other days will be spend getting to know the country, culture, people. We get to visit the Belize Zoo and Blue Hole. No, not that Blue Hole (the famous dive site) but another onland sunked cave site. I've heard the Belize zoo is quite something. Looking forward to collecting information for my school - I'm signed up with my friend Nanci who is an elemantary school teacher to exchange info, well, send info about Belize so she can share it with her kids. And will do the same for my friend who is doing homeschool. Let me know if anyone else wants to join the fun. One of the Peace Corps goals is to teach Americas about the country where we are placed so I get "credit" for doing that kind of thing.

Anyway, suffice it to say I'm in the "honeymoon" period of adapting to my new situation - it's all great and good and fun and wonderful. Glad to be getting out of the classroom and starting to get into the communities.

Oh, and we learned if we're being harrassed by guys to say "gaad noh likh oagli" ('god no like ugly' in Kriol). That just cracks me up ... But I'm pretty much taller and therefore bigger than most of the men here so far so no worries.

Take care! Love always - MJP

It's so pretty here!

Yea, arrived safely and uneventfully in Belize yesterday (Thursday)! It's SOOO pretty here - the water (which I only saw as we were landing, I'm now an hour inland) is the most unusual color - like a clear green, hard to explain. And the countryside is green green green. Definitely in a jungle. With lots of palm trees.
We had the best welcome - almost all of the current Volunteers (about 20 people) met us at the airport and were shouting and hooting their welcome. All of a sudden all the namelessness, facelessness, impersonalness fell away - it is great to be here and everyone is so supportive and excited we are here. But we were the Belize Peace Corps Zombie Unit when we arrived, running on no sleep. Luckily the staff took pity on us and let us out from Training early so we could get to the hotel and crash.
The Hotel uses a box spring for the mattress (with a box spring underneath it) but we were so tired no one cared. Will see if that changes after tonight. And, my personal nemesis, back to cold showers. That was the only moment that I questioned why I was doing this but I know I'll get over it. In fact, it's so hot and humid, if you time your shower right, it actually would feel good.
The Staff are great - really energetic and organized [yea and whew :-) The Training topics for the next week focus mostly on health and safety and checking in with us as a group and individually to see how our health and safety are. In terms of health, and safety, here is what we've learned so far:
"Don't get Bit"
"Don't get Hit"
"Don't get Lit" {or 'drunk' in case my younger friends don't know that synonym}
"Don't do It"
"Don't eat Shit"
ha ha ha
The Staff are also well aware of the reputation or assumptions everyone has about a Belize placement. They asked us "are you looking forward to PCV?" to which we replied "yes" thinking they were referring to PCV as 'Peace Corps Volunteer'. See, right now we are PCT, Peace Corps Trainess, and don't become actual Volunteers until we pass Training in early October. Anyway, they said "no, are you looking forward to PCV? Your 'Paid Caribbean Vacation'" ... we wish! But one of the current PCVs who lived in Punta Gorda, which is right on the beach, said he was only able to get there 5 times during his 2 years.
We are going to an Archeology site tomorrow, a Mayan temple called Xunantunich, near the Guatemalan border. Includes a lecture on Mayas and Mestizos in Belize and cultural presentations on marimba music and mayan traditional dancing. Then on Sunday, we go to the River to swim and wash clothes (no joke) and will play kickball in the afternoon. Then back to "health and safety" lesson on Monday.
Next Thursday I move to my first host family, I think I'm posted about hour away from the capital, Belmopan, in a town called San Antonio. Looks like I will get a good indoctrination on the bus system. Will update you when I can, probably each Friday for the next few weeks.
In September, I can look into getting a cell phone. In October or November, can look into getting my own internet service. Telecommunication is pretty easy here, except I have Vista on my laptop and it sucks/doesn't work well with the systems here.
Take care! XOXO MJP

life is now officially run by the DMV LOL

Registered today with the Peace Corps and just went though 4 hours of "getting to know you" activities and various briefings: Peace Corps mission & goals, our aspirations and anxieties (for most it's around getting sick), managing risks (health, pick pocketing, harrassment, assaults), and Peace Corps policies.

The gist of it reminded me of the 2nd* most important thing I learned working in health care: "if it's wet and it's not yours, don't touch it" LOL

We check out at 1:30am, leave for the airport at 2am (Reagan National which is 15 minutes away), flight is at 6am. Two hours to Miami. Hang out there for 2 hours. Then 2 more hours to Belize. And then ...

There are 38 of us (28 women and 10 men), eight in the organizational development unit, the rest in either youth development, health education, education, or environmental programs. There are 4 married couples, about 10 retirees, including one guy "Dickie" who joined the Peace Corps because "he was homeless" [I'm so going to like him]. Will send word once I've arrived and wheeeeeee - here I go

Thanks all for the messages and good thoughts - hope we avoid the storms around Florida -

Love alwaysMJP


*the 1st thing I've learned from working in health care is "don't get sick, don't get old"

Manissa's Going Away Party (50 photos)

Click on the picture to view or copy/past link:
http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=600151250385517770/l=3648802007/g=27582894/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Why I became a buddhist ...

http://www.aliainstitute.org/fieldnotes_blog/archives/Issue10/I10_Wheatley.pdf

The Journey

"One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice - though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles.
'Mend my life!' each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to go, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations - though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own,
that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,
determined to do the only you could do - determine to save the only life you could save."
- Mary Oliver

T-Minus 40 Days

Wow - it's nearly here! Well, I actually don't have confirmation of my depature date but last I heard it is still August 19.

I did have a conference call with the Belize Program Director and Logistics Coordinator and here is what I know for when I arrive in-country:
~ First week of Orientation we will be staying at a hotel in the capital of Belize, Belmopan [sorry, no visitors and no, it will not be 5 star LOL].
~ Next five weeks I will be staying with a family in Belmopan.
~ Last four weeks of orientation, I will be staying with another family in my assigned location (city, town, village TBD). I will either be with a Spanish-speaking or Creole-speaking family/assignment. I asked if that is determined based on previous language experience and was told previous language experience is taken as an indicator of ability to learn a (new) language. So I have a feeling I'll be in a Creole community, mostly coastal and southern Belize. But again, DMV approach so I won't know anything for sure until I am there and "pass" orientation. :-)
Also learned there are about 8 of us in the business/organizational development program, ranging in ages from college grad, to mid-career, to retirees. I have found a few of the other volunteers (2 recent college grads and one married couple) on the web and enjoying reading their blogs. I'm also suppose to be put in contact with a current volunteer in Belize which will be nice.

As of right now, I am still in Santa Fe New Mexico having the most restful, calming, engaging time. Going to art galleries and musuems, hiking, taking a gazillion restorative yoga classes, meditation, reading, volunteering at the zen center and with a hospice program (my hospice patient has been teaching me how to curse in Italian!), studying astronomy, chanting, and more about native american history/cultures. And yes, Laurence, I do have a terminal disease - the same one we all have :-) And since I have no way of knowing when my time is up, I'm focusing now on all the things I want to do while I have the physical and mental capacity. I'll work when I'm old.

I'll be back in California around July 30 to take care of final packing and getting my cats situated. Will let you know when I get a confirmed depature date.

Orevwa! (goodbye in Kriol/Creole)

Some things I've learned about Belize so far ...

Some Interesting Factoids about Belize:
~ British colony, formerly British Honduras, granted independence on 9/21 (my bday!) /1981 (year the twins were born [my bro & sis])
~ About the size of New Hampshire with little variation in temparture (high 70s, low 80s) or humdity (~80%)
~ 300,000 people (lowest population density in Central America, one of the lowest in the world, and much less than during the Classic Mayan Period)
~ 70% of population is under the age of 30
~ Highest rate of HIV/AIDs in Central America
~ Spanish becoming more widely spoken as Mestizo population increases
~ Creole fast becoming language common to all (53% Mestizo = European & indigenous ancestry, 25% Creole = descended from slaves, 10% Mayan, 7% Garifuna = carib slaves & indigenous ancestry, 4% others including Chinese, Taiwanese, East Indian, and Mennonite)
~ 93% of land is under forest cover; 42% of land is under some type of legal protected status
~ Only jaguar reserve in the world
http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/parkcockscomb.html
~ Largest coral reef in western hemisphere
~ Increasingly challenged by environmental issues including water pollution, waste disposal, deforestation, and mainstream tourism
~ Peace Corps has been in Belize for 43 years!

My Peace Corps Assignment is ...

BELIZE (were you sitting down??!!)

As a "organizational development facilitator" [more about that in future posts]

From August 19, 2009 - October 21, 2011

Belize is located south of Mexico and west of Guatemala:http://www.islandexpeditions.com/images/small-photos/central-america-map.jpg

Here is some info off the Peace Corps website:http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.wherepc.centralamerica.belize

Check back here for more updates!