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
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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"
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"
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
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
'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
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